Harmanpreet Kaur surpasses Mithali Raj with 8th ODI century in 2nd match against Zimbabwe

Harmanpreet Kaur struck 126 off 121 balls, hitting 15 boundaries, to lead India to 328 for 6 wickets in the 2nd ODI against Zimbabwe at BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara on October 25, 2026. The India batter was dropped three times during her innings but converted the opportunity into a match-defining performance. Deepti Sharma remained unbeaten on 106 off 86 balls, also striking 15 boundaries, as the hosts built a commanding total.

Harmanpreet's century marked her eighth ODI hundred, moving her past Mithali Raj on India's all-time list. Smriti Mandhana leads the tally with 14 ODI centuries, followed now by Harmanpreet with 8 and Mithali Raj with 7.

India lost Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma inside three overs, but Harmanpreet and Pratika Rawal steadied the innings with a 124-run partnership for the third wicket. Pratika scored 61 off 67 balls, laying the foundation for India's recovery. Harmanpreet then added 153 runs for the fifth wicket with Deepti Sharma, whose aggressive batting in the final phase proved decisive. The milestone arrived in the 41st over of India's innings.

Harmanpreet reflected on the challenging batting environment and the early loss of two key openers. The pitch did not play true, and the transition from night cricket to day matches added to the difficulty.

"It wasn't easy conditions. Nowadays we play a lot of night games. After a long time playing under the sun, difficult conditions to bat in. After losing two wickets, Pratika and I had a very good partnership and then Deepti did the magic on the pitch," Harmanpreet said to broadcasters at the innings break.

“It wasn't a true wicket. Initially was holding a bit. Idea was to keep batting and keep holding your shape. That gave us the result today. I just want to enjoy myself on the field. Key is to keep batting and keep enjoying myself. Good thing is that I'm hitting the ball well,” she mentioned.

Harmanpreet credited her partnership with Pratika Rawal as the turning point in India's innings. The two batters worked out a clear plan to rebuild after the early wickets, with Harmanpreet taking responsibility for scoring while Pratika rotated the strike effectively.

“Initially they were bowling well, hitting good areas. Pratika and I had good communication that we have to build our innings. We have to see which balls we have to take charge and which balls to give respect. That partnership gave us confidence to build the innings,” Harmanpreet said.

“When somebody just came in and is getting boundaries, your job is to take single and keep giving strike. Good to see that she was taking responsibility and good to watch her from the other end,” she added.